“Our intention is to file papers next week. He’s off to the races,” Jones said.

Valdivia was elected to the San Bernardino City Council in 2011 and took his seat in March of the following year, several months before the city decided to file for bankruptcy. When a recall effort in 2013 that targeted officials in the bankrupt city took out long-time City Attorney James F. Penman and Councilwoman Wendy McCammack, voters in Valdivia’s 3rd Ward — which represents about 30,000 people in the southern part of the city — voted by a 2-1 margin to keep him in office.

Miller, R-Rancho Cucamonga, and an eight-term incumbent, announced Wednesday he would not seek re-election due to family commitments. He was elected over Republican Bob Dutton in 2012, the first primary election in which the top two finishers regardless of party appeared on the general election ballot, but many observers suspected that was only because a crowded Democratic field splintered Democratic votes.

Assemblyman Curt Hagman, R-Chino Hills, said several potential candidates could also be throwing their names in the ring for Miller’s seat before the filing period closes in three weeks.

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“We’re going to fight like heck to keep it a Republican seat in the Inland Empire,” said Hagman, who is also chairman of the Republican Party of San Bernardino County and a candidate for the 4th District county Board of Supervisors seat that Gary Ovitt will be vacating when his term ends this year.

Word circulated Wednesday that Fontana Mayor Acquanetta Warren may also consider a run for Miller’s seat, but Warren said Thursday it wasn’t in the cards.

“The Lord hasn’t moved me in that direction yet,” Warren said.

She said she received about 20 phone calls Wednesday and Thursday from her constituents urging her against running in the congressional race.

“I’ve been really working on my mayor campaign.” Warren said. “I’ve already launched and I’m ready to go. I just have so many things here I still want to do. I don’t think I’ll be going anywhere.”

Assembly candidate Paul Chabot said Thursday he is seriously discussing with family, friends and colleagues about switching gears and running for Miller’s seat to prevent a Democrat from being elected to the highly coveted seat.

“We really have to hold that seat for the Republican Party,” Chabot, 39, of Rancho Cucamonga, said. “If a Democrat gets that seat, we may see a domino effect of other Democrats beating Republicans in state and local elections throughout the district in the years to come.”

Miller’s district is one of the most competitive in the coming election cycle and a “top target” by Democrats because a majority of the registered voters in the district are Democrats. That Democratic majority was the result of redistricting in 2010.

Money has flown in from around the country for Democratic candidates including Redlands Mayor Pete Aguilar, Colton attorney Eloise Gomez Reyes, San Bernardino school board member Danny Tillman and former Rep. Joe Baca.

No Republicans had been challenging Miller, who was leading fundraising in October 2013 with a $840,780 war chest.

Former state Sen. Bob Dutton, a Republican, said Thursday he is not interested in Miller’s seat, and remains committed to running for San Bernardino County assessor.

“I think that’s the best thing for me to do at this time,” Dutton said,

He said he will support Chabot if Chabot decides to run for Congress.

“I think he’s the right man for the job,” Dutton said.

Chabot, an outspoken opponent of medical marijuana, founded several local nonprofits promoting American values and the deterrence of drug abuse including the Inland Valley Drug Free Community Coalition, Drug Free RC, Freestyle Foundation Inc. and the Coalition for a Drug Free California. He is an Iraq War veteran and served in the Clinton White House as a Presidential Fellow and later in the Bush White House as a senior adviser.

Chabot has a bachelor’s degree from Cal State San Bernardino, a master’s degree in public administration from USC and a doctorate in executive leadership from George Washington University.

Though he has never served in public office, Chabot said he would be willing to take on the fight for Miller’s seat, although he said it would be much more challenging than the Assembly race.

“I’m committed to holding the congressional seat for the Republican Party, whether I do that in my current capacity as a candidate for state Assembly or a candidate for Congress is the question my family and I are deciding,” Chabot said.